Electrically actuated valves are very popular; opening a closed valve or closing an open valve with the touch of a button from a remote location has long been convenient and desirable. As a result, valves including motor drives have long been used in manufacturing and in the marine industry, and in other application areas to provide mechanical power where valve actuation by human power was inconvenient or impossible, and remote operation thereof.
It has long been recognized that an electrically operated valve must have a manual override capability, but the methods for achieving manual operation are not intuitive, and the procedure is physically difficult, time consuming, and often requires the use of tools. Furthermore, in a system that includes multiple valves, often in multiple sizes, such as on a marine vessel, monitoring and controlling the valves presents additional challenges to the designer and operator alike.
A common problem with valves in the marine industry has been the accumulation of nuisance growth on internal valve parts, making infrequently actuated valves extremely difficult to operate. Frequent valve actuation is the best method for minimizing growth buildup, but doing so has not been practical or convenient.
In marine vessels, the presence of excess water in the bilge area is problematic and dangerous. There are numerous methods of alerting the vessel operator to the condition, but none identify the exact location of the high water in the vessel.